


Rules

by LemonsandRosemary



Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV), A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Genre: Drabble, Established Relationship, F/F, Polyamory, Relationship Negotiation, Some angst, incredibly fluffy ending, plot heavy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:38:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21735496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LemonsandRosemary/pseuds/LemonsandRosemary
Summary: Olivia and Jacquelyn want to add Esmé to their relationship. There is just the small matter of Esmé's rules to negotiate, particularly with regard to a certain dark haired optometrist.I report pedophilesDon’t interact with my fics if you post/read ageplay or sexual content that features minors, even if they’re aged up
Relationships: Georgina Orwell/Esmé Squalor, Olivia Caliban/Esmé Squalor, Olivia Caliban/Jacquelyn Scieszka, Olivia Caliban/Jacquelyn Scieszka/Esmé Squalor
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	Rules

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gray_zelle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gray_zelle/gifts).

Esmé Squalor did not make a habit of entering organised relationships. They didn’t suit her. She was a woman who defined herself by transience, according to what was In or Out. She couldn’t abide by the idea of being pinned to a particular individual. Though, she supposed, lesbianism was always In. She made sure of that. 

She had arranged to meet Olivia and Jacquelyn in a local coffee house, small, less chance of them being overheard, but with enough of a busy babble that premeditated surveillance was almost an impossibility. Exposed light bulbs hung overhead, casting a rounded yellow glow onto stripped wooden table tops. 

“I have some rules,” she said, aiming to remain tactful. She had rules for everything. What was In, what was Out, up, down, rules for Jerome, rules for the divorce, though most people called that a pre-nup. She liked things to be in order exactly the way she wanted them. She liked control. 

Jacquelyn nodded, “Hit me.” She was prepared to take the lead on this, she imagined that Olivia might be slightly intimidated by Esmé’s negotiation tactics. 

“I don’t do compromise,” she said, definitively, “It’s my way or the highway,” she flicked her eyes at Olivia, “I do extravagant birthday gifts, be prepared for that.” She paused before continuing,

“I will not go camping. Jacquelyn, I know you’re an outdoorsman but I cannot tolerate sleeping on the ground,” a small, involuntary, shiver ran up her spine. 

“Do not throw me any surprise parties without my informed consent,” Esmé shot her eyes at Olivia, clearly deciding that she was the most likely culprit of such an offence. Jacquelyn smirked slightly, at the very least, Esmé was forthright, almost to a fault.

Esmé sighed, it was time to cover what she suspected might be the most significant sticking point of the whole affair. 

She flicked her eyes up at Jacquelyn, “Georgina.”

Jacquelyn nodded, “It’s okay,” she smiled. 

Jacquelyn hadn’t ever expected Esmé to give up Dr. Georgina Orwell. Esmé had been known to move heaven and earth for that woman. Quite literally. 

Olivia stiffened slightly and frowned, tapping a fingernail on the edge of her coffee cup with a sharp clink, “What do you mean?”

Esmé shifted in her seat and fiddled with the edge of one of her nails. It was fashionable at the moment to have fine gold chains inserted into one’s nails, and Esmé had to admit, she rather liked the tactility. 

“I get to keep sleeping with Georgina.” 

Olivia coughed slightly, choking on air, “You’re sleeping with Dr. Orwell?” 

Jacquelyn winced slightly; for all of Olivia’s positives, she wasn’t always the most tactful.

Esmé nodded, “Yes, and I’m not particularly inclined to want to stop.” 

Olivia’s stomach burned; she wasn’t sure how she felt about the idea of non-monogamy beyond the confines of their proposed triad. 

Jacquelyn, seeing the look on Olivia’s face, jumped in, “Can we think about it?”

Esmé nodded, “Of course. Take as long as you need.” 

* * *

Olivia couldn’t wrap her head around it. There was a jealous gnawing in the pit of her stomach that she couldn’t nix, 

“So, what, Jacquelyn? I’m supposed to just deal with her seeing other people? That’s really not what I signed up for.”

Jacquelyn sighed, “First of all, none of this is normal, Olivia, Esmé is allowed to have feelings. Second, it’s not other people; it’s Georgina.” 

Jacquelyn felt a hot wave of anger wash over her, her mind flashing back to when she had previously tried, and failed, to date Esmé Squalor. Esmé was not a woman who could be measured or regulated. She set the agenda, everyone else was merely subject to it. 

“Believe you me, she would pick Georgina over anyone else on this earth every single time, don’t pretend you’re special,” it came out as much more of a snarl than she had intended. 

Olivia felt tears burn at her throat, “That was unnecessary, it’s not persona- Oh.” 

“Oh,” Jacquelyn repeated, pointedly. Her voice edging more in the direction of malice than she had wanted. 

She took a breath, centring herself slightly, “_You_ wanted to add Esmé to this, Olivia, and I like her, and I like _you_, so I’m willing to try it on a more permanent basis. But it’s a sore spot and I don’t want to talk about it any more.” 

Olivia shook her head, “I’m sorry, Jac, I love you.” 

Jacquelyn smiled softly and wrapped her arms around the shorter woman. She kissed the top of Olivia’s head and breathed in the scent of her hair, warm and somewhere akin to pecan pie, “It’s okay, my love, it’s okay.”

Olivia frowned into Jacquelyn’s clavicle, “I don’t get it. Why doesn’t she just date Georgina if that’s what she wants?”

“They’re both incredibly complex women. You can ask them about it, if you like, but it’s up to you, either you accept this or we move on.” 

* * *

It had been weeks and Esmé hadn’t heard anything significant from either Jacquelyn or Olivia. Olivia continued to send her pictures of the kittens she was working with that week at the shelter, Jacquelyn called her once to ask about her day, but both of them danced around the issue, until Georgina called her.

“Esmé?” She asked, her tone tense.

“Hi, Georgie,” she answered, “What is it?” 

“Olivia and Jacquelyn would like to talk. With both of us.” 

Esmé rolled her eyes, “Why did they call _you_?” she didn’t like to admit that she was slightly hurt.

Georgina laughed softly, “Our arrangement is unusual at the best of times, my sweet, you have to give Olivia space to understand.” 

Esmé let out a breath that made her sound like a petulant child, “I don’t know what’s so difficult about it.”

“Just talk to her,” Georgina said, in a low voice that made Esmé sure that she was done with the conversation. 

* * *

Olivia showed up on Esmé’s doorstep on a rainy Friday evening. She was nervous. 

Esmé invited her in and allowed her to shed her damp coat. She offered her a hot drink before escorting her into a living room. One of her favourites. The grey one. 

Georgina was already in the apartment; she had stayed over. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. 

“So?” Esmé asked, not wanting to prolong the nervous tension in the pit of her stomach for any longer than necessary.

Olivia eyed the optometrist with a healthy amount of suspicion. 

“I would like to understand slightly more about what exactly this would entail,” she started, wanting to sound more neutral about the whole affair than she felt. 

Esmé looked at Georgina, unsure of exactly how much the other woman was willing to share. 

Georgina started, “Esmé and I have a somewhat…” she searched for the right word, “intricate relationship.” 

If the tension in the room hadn’t been quite so thick, Esmé would have laughed. 

Georgina needled her with a prickly glare, “We sleep together on occasion, and we enjoy each other’s company.”

“For limited periods,” Esmé added, somewhat cheekily. 

“How often is occasionally?” Olivia asked, unable to reign in her more intrusive nature. 

“Once-” Georgina started.

“-a week?” Esmé finished. 

Olivia felt her stomach jolt. She bit her lip and nodded, “And there’s no movement on that at all?” 

Esmé dropped her eyes to the floor. She had never felt particularly positive about her tendencies in terms of relationships. She supposed that was why she liked Georgina so much, she never took the liberty of pointing it out. But gazing into wide hazel eyes Esmé couldn’t help but feel like she really wanted to try the alternative. 

She crossed to sit next to Olivia. She wrapped Olivia’s delicate fingers in her own spindly ones, 

“I like you Olivia,” she pointedly caught Olivia’s gaze, “these last few months have been wonderful,” she hoped she sounded as genuine as she felt. “I would like this to continue, in a more persistent sense,” she cast her eyes over towards Georgina, “but Georgina is a permanent fixture in my life, darling.” Georgina smiled and blinked gently. 

Olivia smiled and looked at the ceiling, “Okay, okay.” 

* * *

Olivia settled into the routine of dating two women far more quickly than she had anticipated. 

Jacquelyn cooked her dinner and Esmé lavished her with expensive gifts that always seemed to be perfectly to her taste, even if they weren’t In. She brought Esmé to the animal shelter one Saturday afternoon when the sun was high and it was too humid to be outside. Esmé scooped three kittens into her lap and complained that her back hurt when they promptly fell asleep on her. She was kept snug between Esmé’s ribs and Jacquelyn’s strong arms whenever she woke from a bad dream. 

The first time Esmé brought her a cup of tea exactly the way she liked it without being prompted, Olivia decided that Esmé’s rules had been worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> Idk where this came from but I like relationship negotiations. Also for Gray xoxo


End file.
